lorai will have to overpay to get players just like wilpon does. nobody wants to play for those guys. loria has a habit of throwing players under the bus and then trading them. no player wants that. very interesting about what red said about matt cain but i dont see that happening. sabean can say what he wants but i think end the end he will end up signing jose reyes. im fine with a bunch of 20 to 25 homerun guys on the giants. dont they have huff for another year? i think he may be on his contract year so dont be suprised to see 30 out of him

Phillies apparently closing on a 4 year deal (with a 5th year option) for Ryan Madsen. That seems like its a little too long in the tooth but they needed a closer I guess and didn't have to give up any draft picks to sign him (like they would have had they gone after a Papelbon).

And now...



Too many years too much money, I don't blame them for having second thoughts. I am assuming the leak for these negotiations came from Boras(s), as he was probably trying to put the pressure on Philly to have to sign off on this deal knowing knowing he was in the process of getting one over them with this.

The Phillies have a policy that they will not give a pitcher more than a 3 year deal. However, they did make an exception for Halladay and Lee. I'm also sure they will do the same for Hamels sometime later this summer.

Dangerous down there. Hope things work out.

looks like the phillies are going after papelbaum

I'm antsy for the Winter Meetings to start. Still a long ways to go (December 5). Nothing big seemingly happens until then unless a player is dead set on going to a specific market/team.

My guess is they will resign Madson. If they sign Papelbon then the Phillies will have to give up their first round draft pick this year. With the way their minor league system has been depleted over the past few years this wouldn't be the smartest move but if they do sign Papelbon, I wouldn't be upset about it.

Aren't the Phillies aggressively pursing Michael Cuddyer? He's a Type A free agent himself, so Phillie's seem willing to sacrifice that pick. Maybe they draw the line at giving up one pick instead of two?

Either way, no closer is worth a big contract for longer than 3 years imo.

And so it begins: Pujols to meet with the Marlins.

Why in the fuck he, or anybody for that matter, would want to play under Loria's thumb is beyond me...time will tell.

I think a lot of these players may just as well be using the Marlins for leverage, moreso than actually wanting to play there. I agree, who wants to deal with Loria while playing 81 games in front of 25 fans. Who really knows how the stadium effects attendance. You want to risk the chance that the lack of attendance was solely due to weather and it being an outdoor stadium? The weather argument doesn't explain lack of attendance for the entire season, at best only the latter part. I've been to a game earlier in the season when the weather was no different than what I got back in the North East and the stadium was still empty. And then there's the situation in TB, you got a winning team in a domed stadium and they still can't get fans. Why is Miami going to be any different?

That all said, I do worry that Reyes would be happy to move down to Miami, as I could see that city fitting his personality pretty well. Pujols, on the other hand, unless they blow him away with money I just can't picture it.

I know Florida doesn't have a State Income Tax so that is always a consideration for Free Agents. It happens a lot in the NBA so I don't see any reason why that wouldn't be a selling point for the Marlins. Plus, the huge Latin community also is a draw.

If Pujols, in fact, all about getting paid, then the FL tax issue is a benefit for the Marlins, but I'm not certain the Latin community is an ace in the hole for the Marlins as they have yet to fill the thousands of empty seats at games...sure, the argument will be that the Marlins need the right superstar to make it happen, but there are no guarantees...big risk for Pujols, IMO...especially when you factor in the ginormous ass clown that Loria is and will continue to be.

At this point, I think you do have to assume he's looking for money. Otherwise, why would he ever leave St. Louis? Honestly, is there a more perfect situation for him than St. Louis where he could make money, play for such a supposedly great organization with a loyal and renowned fan base, and on a team that is continually competitive? And its the organization he's spent his career with so he has familiarity with them so there will be no transition period.

????

Thanks for that list, I hadn't seen the overall list, but not sure if you are trying to make a point with it or just share it?

well its looks as if madsen is a type a free agent as well meaning that if they phillies wanted to sign papelbum and let someone else sign madsen to his outrageous demands the phillies will just get the pick right back. so it really doesnt matter on that end

i told you a couple weeks ago that there was no chance that cc was on the market and the yankees locked him up in days. mark my words. albert pujols isnt going anywhere. and if he does then he should be kicked out of baseball

and looking at that list the phillies are due to lose oswalt another type a free agent giving them another 1st round pick. and then if rollins bails then thats another type a free agent.

I concur with your assumption...as a Cards fan, I've struggled with it though as he has strived for years to perpetuate an image as a humble, family-oriented dude who gives a lot back to the community...a lot of Cards fans, myself included, are scratching our heads about the prospect of a scenario that sees him turn down the Cards' offer as he already has done, look for greener pastures, and then return to the Cards...lots of confusion and cognitive dissonance adrift in Cards country.

well the phillies signed papelbum. good fit

I just wanted to share the link.

Source? I can't find anything beyond the Phillies being interested.

EDIT: Nevermind, twitter to the rescue. 4 year/$50m pending physical. Ha.